Flax

Flax

• Common name: Flax, Common flax, Flaxseed, Linseed.
• Scientific Name:

Plant Description

• Flax is an annual plant that thrives in deep moist soils rich in sand, silt, and clay.
• The small, oval-shaped seeds of the flax plant contain oil, sometimes called linseed oil.

Plant Description

• It has a distinct main stem with numerous branches at the top which produce flowers.
• The plant has a branched taproot system which may extend to a depth of 3 to 4 feet in coarse textured soil.

Plant Description

• The flax flower has five petals and a five-celled boll or capsule, which may contain up to 10 seeds when filled.

What is it made of?

What is it made of?

What is it made of?

What is it made of?

What is it made of?

• Flaxseed acts like a laxative because of its fiber and mucilage content. Phytoestrogens, plant chemicals (lignans), may help protect against some kinds of cancer. Other health benefits of flaxseed, are probably due to a high concentration of the omega-3 fatty acid ALA.

Protecting against Cancer

• Consuming flaxseed may help protect against prostate, colon, and breast cancers. Flaxseed is thought to prevent the growth of cancerous cells because its omega-3 FAs disrupt malignant cells from clinging onto other body cells. In addition, the lignans in flaxseed have antiangiogenic properties - they stop tumors from forming new blood vessels.

Lowering Cholesterol

• In lab tests and animal studies, flaxseed and flaxseed oil have been reported to lower cholesterol. Human studies have had mixed results. One human study found that people who added flaxseed to a low-cholesterol diet lowered their LDL ("bad") cholesterol and triglycerides (fats in the blood).

Digestive health

• The strong fiber content of flaxseeds, including their mucilaginous fiber, help to delay gastric emptying and can improve intestinal absorption of nutrients. Flaxseed fibers also help to steady the passage of food through our intestines. Finally, the lignans in flaxseed have been shown to reduce risk of colon cancer.

Improving Blood Sugar

• There is strong evidence to suggest that consuming flaxseed every day improves glycemic control in obese men and women with pre-diabetes. Preliminary research also suggests that daily intake of the lignans in flaxseed may modestly improve blood sugar.

Post-Menopausal Symptoms

• There continues to be strong interest in flaxseeds and their components (including enterolactone and secoisolariciresinol diglucoside) as potential aids during management of perimenopausal and postmenopausal symptoms as well as during hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Flaxseed research, is however, complex.

Post-Menopausal Symptoms

• A study published in the Journal of the Society for Integrative Oncology suggests that a dietary intake of flaxseed can decrease the risk of hot flashes among postmenopausal women. "Not only does flaxseed seem to alleviate hot flashes, but it appears to have overall health and psychological benefits as well," concluded Dr. Pruthi.

Protecting against radiation

• Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania concluded that their "study demonstrates that dietary flaxseed, already known for its strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, works as both a mitigator and protector against radiation pneumonopathy."

References

Thank you :)